kittide

Kittide is a fictional mineral described in speculative geology and science fiction. In those narratives, kittide is presented as a potassium-rich silicate with a layered framework capable of hosting intercalated ions, which in some accounts gives it potential electrochemical activity.

Physical properties commonly attributed to kittide in fictional sources include a vitreous to pearly luster, a pale green to colorless appearance in well-formed crystals, and a Mohs hardness around 5 to 6. Descriptions often place its crystal system as monoclinic, with a density near 3.0 g/cm3. It is typically described as forming in crystalline aggregates rather than isolated grains and as being translucent to transparent in good specimens.

Occurrence and formation are depicted as taking place in high-temperature pegmatitic environments within ultramafic to granulitic rock sequences. In these stories, kittide is frequently found alongside quartz, feldspar, and mica, and its formation is linked to volatile-rich magmatic or metasomatic processes that concentrate alkali metals.

Etymology and history note that the name kittide derives from a fictional discoverer or research station and follows standard mineral-naming conventions, with the -ide suffix indicating a mineral species. First descriptions appear in speculative literature from the mid-22nd century onward, where authors use kittide to explore ideas about mineral structure and advanced materials.

Applications and significance in fiction center on imagined uses as solid-state electrolytes or energy-storage materials. In real-world science, kittide is treated as a hypothetical concept rather than an established mineral, serving as a narrative device to discuss mineralogy and materials science. See also: silicate minerals, mineralogy, hypothetical materials.